Me on the West Highlands 1200, http://tinyurl.com/spotdm and a bunch of us, SpotWalla WH1200.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Sport
Audax + sportives 2016
(174 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Dr Afternoon and others doing well- around Poolewe at ~2/3 to 3/4 distance. Nutters...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Dave C has done this before when it was 1500 km and he is up there again now. Hope weather holds fair.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Weather 1 - Dave C 0.
Started off ok, cycling with a mate, blustery and wet in places. Early to Tobermory off the 06:35 Oban - Craignure ferry, arriving at 9am in Tobermory for the 09:30 Kilchoun ferry. Then fine cycling again but windy again to Mallaig to get the earlier 15:00 (over 15:35) ferry to Armadale. Broadford fine, for ~16:45 and over the Skye Bridge and via Coop. Then through Applcross and onto Loch Carron where it started raining heavy and I found out I'd forgotten 4/5th of the steep climbs. 18:30 at Carron Hotel and then up with a tailwind ish to Achnashean and out to Dingwall for 23:30. Severe tooth ache was the name on my lips Monday due to sentitive teeth. Glumb day. So at middnight we decided against carrying on and kipped at the campsite for a couple of hours in a bivi avoiding the rain.
4am Tues rise and shine, 5am left for Laxford Bridge and a bru up at the local comunity centre (closed - using own stove - not to be used again - wasted effort!) Carried on up the coast to Durness for midday and lucnh outside Durness Spar - oh the luxury. On to headwinds south of Loch Horrible (Eribol) and 3pm at Tounge, where we had a cuppa and a cake in a hotel. 19:30 in Melvich for dinner in a local pub and arrived at 21:00 in Trantlebeg.
3 hours sleep again and left at 1am for Helmsdale 3am. Through Brora and Golspie and into Lairg for 7am. Shop opened at 7:30 so se kipped on a park bench hoping it would stay dry. Should add I'd forgotten my gloves so my hands were raw as most of my finger prints had worn off. Managed to blag a pair of workers lether gloves off a local and left at 9am headed for Lochinver.
10km past Oykelbridge Hotel my mate turns and askes if I fancied turning round and binning it. The weather had been horible rainy - very windy and cold Tuesday. In hindsight I should have chivied him onto Lochinver but his argument was we were climbing into a 25mph head wind - with sheets of rain lashing at us, 6 hours behind our shedual and with any means of trains behind us at Ardguy etc... So we turned round headed for a hot drink at the plesant hgotel in Oykel Bridge and then decided to head to Ardguy for a train. It was 12:30. We could have continued I guess but we returned to Ardguy waited 2.5 hours for a train only for the guard to turn us away. From there we headed for Dingwall arriving at 18:25. As my mate went off to find an ATM and cash I found a train to Kyle of Lochalsh and we abandonned our plan to return via Inverness and the Great Glen. Others we found out after did a similar DNF (Did Not Finish). So while Mrs Dave C phoned and booked the last few beds in the Skye Backpackers hostel we arrived in Kyle and found a curry house. Then 10 hours sleep and a heafty 24km ride in under and hour (due to lack of info) for a 10:35 ferry - we could have cycled easier and made an 11 am ferry from Armadale.
In Mallaig we collected a fellow DNFer and rode to Fort William for 16:00 dinner and then down the new cycle path 78 - which is most superb to arrive at Oban at 19:30. Finally we dround our sorrows in Whetherspoons before turning in.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@Dave C still mental
Posted 8 years ago # -
I love the fact you binned it, and yet still did a ride after the binning that would put most people to shame!
Posted 8 years ago # -
'Binning' sounds terribly negative. I'd prefer to think you re-purposed the ride. Much more sustainable!
Chapeau for a great effort in obviously very difficult conditions.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Well done DaveC - amazing effort - hope you get over the teeth issue. Remember that audax is just a means to an end - usually involving cake, masochism and getting lost (physically or mentally). Doesn't need a badge at the end to be worthwhile.
Oh and well done to DrAfternoon as well!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Total for the week 958km give or take...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Pity about the weather. Well done though!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Fantastic ride DaveC - about 7 times my longest ever...
Massive respect to everyone who took part
Posted 8 years ago # -
Total for the week 958km give or take...
As far as I've cycled all summer, give or take. Nice one.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@DaveC, @DrAfternoon
this is nuts - the leader has covered 2000km in less than 5 days- has been stopped for just over 5hrs in all that time. he is 2 countries ahead of his nearest competitor
Posted 8 years ago # -
Anyone know the rough route of the Ride of the Valkyries?
Posted 8 years ago # -
I did it a couple of years ago (hailing if I remember correctly). Then it went by Melrose over the east side of the Eildons round to Lilliesleaf then onto Roberton (over a pass) up to the Gordon Arms. Over to Traquair and back along the Tweed.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Thanks - I found it here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/5499028
Strongly considering this, but first train to Galashiels doesn't get in till 10:03, so not sure on some practical issues.
EDIT: I see Melrose are playing at home on the Saturday, could make a weekend of it...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I've finally (providing confirmation) completed my 4th Audax Series Randonneur. I rode a solo DIY 600 this weekend from home returning for Sat night and going out again on Sunday. Now I can relax until next summer before I have to go out and ride a 300+ cycle ride.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Well done. Sleeping in your own bed on an audax does seem a pretty attractive idea.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Subject to verification, that's my Super Randonneur finally complete for this season. Rode the Borderlands Late Season Explorer 600km over the weekend. Three 'there and back' rides centred on Galashiels: Alston and Back, then Johnstonebridge and back (with the luxury of a bed for 3 hours at the motel), and finally Wooler and back.
Good company on day one, but solo on day 2 thanks to my determination to have a good kip. Knowing that the last leg was 'just' 100 miles, and I had all day to do it, saw me through. Pretty good weather on the whole, although a mite breezy on the second day, and an excellent route despite having to ride between Gala and Selkirk six times.
Highlights:
- the lovely ride through Eskdale and the superb Eskdalemuir hub café
- a pair of barn owls in Ettrickdale
- the incredible night sky in the remote area around Grey Mare's Tail
- attractive villages on day 2 - Ancrum, Nisbet, YetholmPosted 8 years ago # -
Well done Panyaqua, next time ride with me, from home. I had all of 6 hours in bed on my DIY 600! :D
Dave C
Posted 8 years ago # -
Congrats Panyagua. That's a great achivement.
I'm glad you noticed the villages near the end! You obviously didn't get lured into the infamous gnome garden (http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2052651). Worryingly each gnome one has a name - allegedly the names of lone cyclists tempted in with cake, never to be seen again.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Yes, the gnome garden - how could I have missed that off the highlights list? The Co-op in Wooler was in my sights at that point, so I wasn't tempted to stop...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Have you every wondered what goes through those crazy Audax riders minds when they go off on their ~24 hours rides?
Listen to this then.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Completed the Cumbrian Cracker 100km Sportive today (Grasmere). Almost perfect weather, just a little on the cold side, and a very nice route - no major climbs although my legs would take issue with this statement.
Organisation seemed a bit chaotic though. The forecast temperature was consistent for a number of days beforehand yet the organisers did not seem to have any contingency for the black ice that was present at the start time of 7:30 and they ended up putting that back to 9am (letting us know around 7:45). The knock-on meant a long slow-moving queue in near zero temperatures waiting to get to the start. The route was altered as a result of the ice so I don't know what the final distance was - still awaiting my time.
Posted 8 years ago #
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